The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-10
THE MILLINERs OF PARIS.
An Interesting Community, of Whom the
Writers Tell Us Little.

Writers Tell Us Little.
Paris dispatch in London Daily Telegraph.
Both great and small. the Paris tniliners form
highly interesting community, but with the
exception of NJ. Emile Zola, whose interchangeable
pen mas left hardly any department OF social life
untouched. the modistes have not been favor
tie topic with writer's. While NJ Zola's possible
production about milliners remains in an em5ry-
Otto condition, the great realistic writer has been
miraoie sketch of the ordinary life and Iabors of
the Lutetian milliner According him the
ranks of the modistes are largely recruited from
schoolmistresses who cannot find pupils,
daughters of theatrical people who do not
IKE to expose their children to the perils OF the
stage. and persons whose parents have come
down In the world Never does the Partisan
milliner allow herself to be called ouvriere.
She is. on the contrary, demoiselle, and the
very poorest OF these demolselles would die
rather than cross the street like work girl, that
Is to say, without hat or gloves In some great
houses of millinery. dignity Is SO much thought
of that the staircase leading to the modstes
rooms is often marked 'escalier des artistes."
The apprentice mIlliner who has paid pre-
MUM, is alio we'd wire around hats and TO
work old models, while the charity appren-
tice. or modillon, picks up pins from the floor
OF the work-room runs errands for the artistes,
and carries parcels for the firm all over Paris.
After about two years apprenticeship the bios
somnig modiste becomes appreteuse and
about G2 per month, eagerly awaiting
the while her elevation to the rank of garnis-
seuse. These 1.-THE garnisseusses) are the stars
of the profession. They are to met every where
theatres. scanning with close scrutiny the
dresses of the actresses who. like Marie Mag
nler, have a costume for each scene in
which they appear. They attend the fashionable
weddings at the Madeleine. and even hunt about
the bookshops and stalls on the quay, peerine
over old fashioned eug-avings. Not SO we'll paid
these the vendeuses who must have
good deal of tact. an eye for form and color, and
be able to hit off the tastes of customers to
nicely. Some of the vendeuses. who speak Eng
lsh in addition to their other accom- plishm ents,
receive as much as G120 per annUm in good
houses. A few of the sellers" are also employed
in soliciting orders for their houses. Milliners
are divided into two classes. those in shops
and those in apartments or private rooms. The
modiste boutique is not creator" of fash
IONS she generally sends of her most
arstocratic looking assistants as a custom
into the private rooms of the leading milliners
il order to ask for the novelties of the season.
Sometimes the trick is discovered and vengean
is taken in MANY ways peculiar to the irventi
female mind. On one occasion a premiere,
forewoman, from nilliners shop was ident,-
fed by fashionable Nine. Mantalin in her
rooms and was locked up in closet, where she
received bread and butter for her eienance
until her mistress had to come crestfallen and
confused to claim her. These of the
sdelights of the life of Paris misliners, but the
subject might easily be enlarged upon.